Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .50 BMG with .510 | 725gr | Lehigh Defense Controlled Fracturing bullet and 31 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are ADI AR 2218, Vihtavuori N570 and Alliant Reloder-33.
Important Notice: DO NOT go below Minimum Charge or above Maximum Charge. Since we have no control over the equipment and components used, any responsibility and liability for the results achieved is rejected.
Only powders/loads that match the current filter criteria are displayed: max pressure of a load ≤ 90% of max. standardized pressure, fill rate ≥ 80% and propellant combustion ≥ 95%. Use the sliders above the tables to adjust these thresholds.
Charge: Powder weight in grains. Start with the minimum load and work up carefully.
FR (Fill Rate): Case fill as a percentage. Values above 100% mean compressed loads.
MaxP / %: Maximum chamber pressure in bar and as a percentage of the standardized maximum for this caliber.
V(0): Muzzle velocity in feet per second (fps) at the standardized barrel length.
z (Powder Burn): Estimated propellant combustion percentage at bullet exit.
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Max Load - Barrel Length: 29"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 8700ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 46,499 psi | 87% | 2533 fps | 98.8% |
| ADI AR 2217 | <<locked>> | 90% | 47,776 psi | 89% | 2520 fps | 100% |
| ADI AR 2218 | <<locked>> | 94% | 47,210 psi | 88% | 2635 fps | 99.5% |
| ADI AR 2225 | <<locked>> | 92% | 46,934 psi | 87% | 2546 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-23 | <<locked>> | 82% | 48,138 psi | 90% | 2438 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-25 | <<locked>> | 86% | 48,240 psi | 90% | 2510 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-33 | <<locked>> | 90% | 45,223 psi | 84% | 2556 fps | 99% |
| Alliant Reloder-50 | <<locked>> | 96% | 48,124 psi | 90% | 2608 fps | 99.1% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 109 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,311 psi | 86% | 2454 fps | 99.1% |
| Bofors RP15 | <<locked>> | 82% | 45,934 psi | 86% | 2470 fps | 100% |
| Bofors RP30 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,848 psi | 89% | 2533 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon H1000 | <<locked>> | 86% | 45,556 psi | 85% | 2480 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon Retumbo | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,427 psi | 88% | 2592 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBossᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 37,913 psi | 71% | 1588 fps | 100% |
| IMR 7828 SSC | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,630 psi | 89% | 2516 fps | 100% |
| IMR 7977 Enduron | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,253 psi | 88% | 2411 fps | 96.5% |
| IMR 8133 Enduron | <<locked>> | 94% | 46,224 psi | 86% | 2533 fps | 100% |
| Lovex S071 | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,877 psi | 89% | 2415 fps | 100% |
| Norma 217 | <<locked>> | 94% | 47,152 psi | 88% | 2549 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Grand | <<locked>> | 82% | 48,240 psi | 90% | 2533 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Magnum | <<locked>> | 84% | 46,514 psi | 87% | 2470 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 38,972 psi | 73% | 1627 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 76 | <<locked>> | 86% | 47,094 psi | 88% | 2579 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 80 | <<locked>> | 88% | 46,311 psi | 86% | 2556 fps | 99.9% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 13 | <<locked>> | 98% | 45,397 psi | 85% | 2490 fps | 98.2% |
| Vihtavuori N165 | <<locked>> | 82% | 46,862 psi | 87% | 2411 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N170 | <<locked>> | 86% | 45,614 psi | 85% | 2444 fps | 97.7% |
| Vihtavuori N565 | <<locked>> | 84% | 46,398 psi | 86% | 2493 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N568 | <<locked>> | 88% | 47,384 psi | 88% | 2559 fps | 99.8% |
| Vihtavuori N570 | <<locked>> | 90% | 48,515 psi | 90% | 2621 fps | 99.2% |
| Winchester StaBALL HD | <<locked>> | 82% | 47,543 psi | 89% | 2516 fps | 100% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 29"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate 8700 | <<locked>> | 92% | 34,853 psi | 65% | 2313 fps | 95.6% |
| ADI AR 2217 | <<locked>> | 80% | 33,823 psi | 63% | 2264 fps | 99% |
| ADI AR 2218 | 209.1 gr | 84% | 32,938 psi | 61% | 2326 fps | 95.2% |
| ADI AR 2225 | <<locked>> | 80% | 31,038 psi | 58% | 2247 fps | 99.9% |
| Alliant Reloder-23 | <<locked>> | 80% | 45,034 psi | 84% | 2395 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-25 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,175 psi | 73% | 2369 fps | 100% |
| Alliant Reloder-33 | 207.9 gr | 82% | 33,533 psi | 62% | 2323 fps | 95.8% |
| Alliant Reloder-50 | <<locked>> | 86% | 33,185 psi | 62% | 2316 fps | 95% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 109 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,395 psi | 81% | 2405 fps | 98.6% |
| Bofors RP15 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,018 psi | 80% | 2421 fps | 100% |
| Bofors RP30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,405 psi | 68% | 2329 fps | 99.5% |
| Hodgdon H1000 | <<locked>> | 80% | 36,854 psi | 69% | 2326 fps | 99.8% |
| Hodgdon Retumbo | <<locked>> | 80% | 38,305 psi | 71% | 2434 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon TrailBoss | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,500 psi | 53% | 1417 fps | 100% |
| IMR 7828 SSC | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,411 psi | 83% | 2464 fps | 100% |
| IMR 7977 Enduron | <<locked>> | 84% | 44,338 psi | 83% | 2362 fps | 95.8% |
| IMR 8133 Enduron | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,543 psi | 53% | 2175 fps | 97.3% |
| Lovex S071 | <<locked>> | 80% | 39,552 psi | 74% | 2283 fps | 100% |
| Norma 217 | <<locked>> | 80% | 28,790 psi | 54% | 2198 fps | 99.2% |
| Ramshot Grand | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,744 psi | 83% | 2477 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Magnum | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,045 psi | 75% | 2369 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 14 | <<locked>> | 80% | 29,283 psi | 55% | 1450 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 76 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,434 psi | 70% | 2415 fps | 100% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 80 | <<locked>> | 80% | 34,185 psi | 64% | 2326 fps | 98.1% |
| SNPE Vectan SP 13 | <<locked>> | 90% | 34,476 psi | 64% | 2280 fps | 95% |
| Vihtavuori N165 | <<locked>> | 80% | 43,830 psi | 82% | 2365 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N170 | <<locked>> | 80% | 37,231 psi | 69% | 2283 fps | 95.4% |
| Vihtavuori N565 | <<locked>> | 80% | 40,466 psi | 75% | 2388 fps | 99.6% |
| Vihtavuori N568 | <<locked>> | 80% | 35,549 psi | 66% | 2339 fps | 98% |
| Vihtavuori N570 | 195.1 gr | 80% | 33,750 psi | 63% | 2333 fps | 95.4% |
| Winchester StaBALL HD | <<locked>> | 80% | 44,005 psi | 82% | 2467 fps | 100% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
ᴾ possible press load - work up slowly to this load while watching for signs of excessive pressure.
This overview compares 38 powders for .50 BMG loaded with the .510 | 725gr | Lehigh Defense Controlled Fracturing. ADI AR 2218 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 2,635 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 1,588 fps to 2,635 fps. Accurate 8700 gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 38 of the 38 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (370 MPa), the top charges use 71–90 %, leaving at least 10 % headroom. The 725.0 gr projectile in 0.51" calls for a 1:17.0 twist; slower twists will usually not stabilise this weight. Accurate 8700, Hodgdon TrailBoss, ReloadSwiss RS 14 reach 100 % fill or more at maximum charge, so these are compressed loads: they need a long drop tube to seat cleanly and react sensitively to the case capacity of your own brass lot. ADI AR 2218, Vihtavuori N570, Alliant Reloder-33 rank at the top here: for .50 BMG with the .510 | 725gr | Lehigh Defense Controlled Fracturing they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Hodgdon 50BMG, Vihtavuori 24N41 burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.